Improvement in railroad baggage-checks



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/y /y f FHILADELPHIA CLEVELAND' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

F. H.'FURNISS AND F. R. MYERS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD BAGGAGEr-CHECKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 37,44 l, dated January20, 1863.

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, F. H. FURNTss and F. R. MYERS, of Cleveland, in thecounty of Cuyahoga and lState of Ohio, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Railroad Baggage-Checks; andA we do hereby declare thatthe following is a full and complete description of the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification, in which- Figures 1 and 2, Plate A,represent reverse sides of a local check, with numbers representing theseveral stations marked thereon, as, for example, the Cleveland andPittsburg from Cleveland to Wellsville. Figs. 3 and 4, Plate A, show thesame checks with the strap inserted through the slots, indicating thenumber of the station to which baggage is to be forwarded. Figs. 1 and2, Plate B, show reverse sides of a through check between importantpoints, as, for example, Chicago and New York, Cleveland andPhiladelphia, Baltimore and Chicago, Sto.

The nature of our invention relates to the construction of checks forlocal or through routes that can with equal lfacility be used on thereturn trips, and for any intermediate station on a local line, or forimportant points on through lines. The same feature is embraced in each.The only diierence is that on the local check numbers are used toindicate the stations, while on the through lines the names of theplaces are stamped upon the check.

We will first describe the local check. The one represented in thedrawings is designed for the Cleveland and Pittsburg Railroad, fromCleveland to Wellsville, that portion of the road comprising a localsection embracing thirty-two local stations. The check is made of aplate of brass or other suitable material, about six inches in lengthand abo'ut one and a half inches wide. Upon one side on the righthandmargin is stamped half the numbers of the stations in figures-in thiscase from 1 to 16 inclusiveand upon the opposite side on the right-handmargin is stamped the remaining half of the number of the stations infigures-in this case from 17 to 32 inclusive. The central portion of thecheck is occupied by a series of slots, S, placed opposite the numbersand corresponding thereto. The left-hand margin of the check, upon bothsides, is

stamped with any number from one upward, and with the initial letters ofthe name of the road or the name in full, as, for example, 1,448, C. &P. A duplicate check, Fig. 5, Plate A, with the same number (1,448, C. &P. Local) accompanies each local check and is given to the -personowning the baggage at the time the check is attached. Now, for example,if a passenger starts from Cleveland, which station is marked N o. 1,and desires to have his baggage stop at Bedford, which station is No. 4,the check-strap T, which is attached to the lower end of the check, isput through the slot opposite ligure 4, as shown in plate A, Fig. 3. Ifhe desires to stop at Hudson, the sixth station, the strap is putthrough at gure 6. If at Alliance, it is put through the slot at 12. Theslot C at the upper end of the check is designed for the strap to passthrough from the reading face backward, for the purpose of keeping thecheck in a suitable position for reading. In all cases the strap isinserted from the back forward, for in this manner the baggage-man isless liable to make mistakes in the numbers. Whichever side of the checkis used the strap should be inserted from the side opposite the number,as, for example, if Salineville is the station indicated,

the strap should be adjusted as in Fig. 4 at number 28. lf atWellsville, the strap should pass through slot No. 32. It will be seenby this arrangement that any station on the whole route, in running ineither direction, can be indicated by the position of the strap throughthe slot. This check can be arranged for the whole of the route toPittsburg or other section of a local route by attaching, by means of ahinge or otherwise, an extension-plate to either end with the number ofstations marked thereon, with corresponding slots, as before described.

Instead of numbers being used, the names of the stations can be stampedupon the bars between the slots, but numbers are more conveniently read,and the necessity for marking with chalk upon the trunk or package isthus avoided.

Plate B, Figs. 1 and 2, represents reverse sides of a through and returncheck between important points, as, for example,from Chicago to New Yorkvia M. S., C. 8a T., C. 85 P., Cen. Penn., N. C., and C. 85 A. R. R. Wehave simply taken the above-named route as an illustration, and which wedenominate the A route. From Chicago to New York via M. C., C. 8: F., C.5 A., and N. Y.Cen., we denominate the B route, and via Erie B. It.,the,

C route, and the checks are thus marked A, B or C, according to theroute, and the same between other important points. This check, Figs. land 2, Plate B, consists of a plate ot brass. or other suitablematerial, some tive or six inches long and one and a haltl wide. Alongthe middle is a series of slots, S, and upon theintermediate bars isstamped the laines of the important stations upon the sevei al lines composing the route, as Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Harrisburg,Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York.

as shown in the figures. The names'or p :inta on the route are reversedin their order on opposite sides of the check, as shown in Figs. l and2, New York standing at the head 011 one side and Chicago standing atthe head on the other.

the route-lettera A B or C, according to the route for which the checkis designed; but

, serted, as shown in Plate B, Fig. 3; It' from Chicago to Pittsburg,the strap is inserted so that these two names only are shown on thefront side .of the check. If baggage is to be rlhe strap' Tis attachedto the lower end of the check,

Upon one margin ol the check is' stamped any number from l upward, and'forwarded from Cleveland to Harrisburg, the strap. is so inserted thatCleveland and Harrisburg only are seen.

It will be observed that the checks are always read from the top towardthe bottom, whichever side is used-one side being from Chicago to NewYork, and the other side from New York to Chicago-therefore, if baggageis to be forwarded from New York to Chicago, that side'of the checkshown in Fig. 4, Plate B, is used, and the strap so inserted that allthe naines are hidden, except New York and Chicago. If baggage is to beforwarded from Philadelphia to Cleveland, the strap. is inserted asshown in Fig. 4, Plate B the check will therefore read PhiladelphiaCleveland.77

The same kind ot' combinations are to be used in any other route,whether local or through. rlhus it will be seen that in the eX- a-mplesgiven, these checks can be used between any two stations or points onthelocal or through lines. y

In the example cited for the through line from Chicago to New York andfrom New York to Chicago, over two hundred v.and fifty combinations canbe effected, and is therefore equivalent to the same number of checks.

What we claim as our improvement, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

Placing the number or names of stations on baggage-cheeks in consecutiveorder, with i'ntermediate or corresponding openin gs orslots for theinsertion `of the strap, as andk for the purpose Specified. Y

. F. H.= FURNISS.V

F. It.. MYERS. i

Witnesses:

J. BRAINERD,

W. H. BURRIDGE.

